Celebrate Lunar New Year with Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese Traditions

The Lunar New Year is Friday January 31st, and here are a few ways to celebrate (obviously all of them involve eating). First up, welcome Chinese New Year at ~FANG RESTAURANT~ on the eve of the new year, Thursday January 30th. Chef Kathy Fang will be serving a special menu from 11am-10pm, including dishes like radish cakes with plum sauce and sesame dressing (which represents growth), or eight-treasure salad (for prosperity). 660 Howard St. at 3rd St., 415-777-8568.

Catch a Vietnamese lunar new year brunch with Rice Paper Scissors at their new home, ~BRICK AND MORTAR~, on Saturday February 1st. From 11am-3pm they’ll be serving a variety of traditional dishes, including mooncakes and sticky rice cakes. Note that it’s cash only. 1710 Mission St. at Valencia, 415-878-6657.

~HAKKASAN~ will be offering a special Chinese New Year menu from Wednesday January 29th-Saturday February 8th. The special options, which include both small plates and entrées, will be available à la carte in addition to the regular menu. Look for stewed pork trotters with black moss, braised Chinese cabbage, and Teochew-style sea snapper with salted plum (a fantastic dish); here’s the menu. Reservations are recommended.

For a group dinner, be sure to check out ~M.Y. CHINA~, where you can choose from two banquet dinners, the Treasure Island (which includes stir-fried lobster and jasmine tea-smoked seabass) or the Fisherman’s Wharf (kung pao crab, mmmmm), for groups of five or ten, or prix-fixe dinners for two, which include roasted Peking duck, two ways. Check out all the menus here; they’re available Saturday January 25th-Friday February 21st, and many dishes are also available à la carte.

At ~E&AMP;O ASIAN KITCHEN~, chef Sharon Nahm will be serving a variety of dishes to inspire prosperity and joy, along with some special cocktails, from January 31st-February 16th. All the menu items will be served à la carte, including a whole crispy fish with citrus glaze, scallions, and ginger, or the steamed buns with roast duck and pickled mango. They’re also offering a selection of cocktails, including the Green Horse, with green tea-infused gin, ginger, and lime. Check out all the special dishes and cocktails right here. 314 Sutter St. at Grant, 415-693-0303.

For a more hands-on experience, check out this ~KIMCHI DUMPLING CLASS~ with Sinto Gourmet. You’ll get to learn the Korean tradition of kimchi dumpling soup-making, all while drinking Mae-Sil Ju (plum wine) and sampling mung bean pancake. At the end, you’ll sit down to enjoy the soup, followed by dessert punch. The class is on Saturday February 1st from 5pm-8:30pm and tickets are $38 per person. 1760 Cesar Chavez St. #H at Missouri.